Courtesy PhotoBrian Husen, right, has spent the past two seasons as an assistant crew chief for Al-Anabi.

Brian Husen of Grand Rapids has worked on six championship Top Fuel Dragster crews in his 15-year National Hot Rod Association career, and that success has only made him hungry for more.

“That feeling you get when you win is what drives me,” Husen said. “I have a lifelong friend from Grand Rapids, Brian Swift, that works on Morgan Lucas’ car. We hang out like brothers. But when we are on the starting line, and he is in the other lane, I hate him.”

The 2011 season will give Husen the greatest opportunity of his career now that Al-Anabi Racing has promoted the 1991 Ottawa Hills graduate to crew chief for its Top Fuel Dragster driver Del Worsham.

Husen, 37, has spent the past two seasons as an assistant crew chief for Al-Anabi, helping driver Larry Dixon win the 2010 Top Fuel Dragster championship after finishing second in 2009. Al-Anabi will field two 300-mph dragsters this season because Worsham will switch from Funny Car to dragster.

The season opens Feb. 24-27 in Pomona, Calif.

“I have been working for this opportunity for a long time, and I want to make the best of it, for sure,” Husen said. “My role changes since I’m now responsible for the whole car, and it is now up to me to get the whole team working together. But I don’t see my role changing that much.”

Brian Husen

Husen has worked for some of the most successful drag racers and most creative engineers in NHRA history -- from seven-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher, to Alan Johnson, who has won 13 championships as a crew chief, team manager and owner.

When Husen broke into the NHRA as a wrench for Joe Gibbs’ McDonald’s Top Fuel Dragster and driver Cory McClenathan, Mike Green was the tuner, Mike Neff was building short blocks and Dickie Venebles was preparing the clutch. All three have gone on to crew chief and win championships.

Add up all that desire and experience, and it’s no wonder Al-Anabi officials want Husen leading one of their teams.

“We are very fortunate to have someone of Brian’s capabilities heading Del Worsham’s Top Fuel team,” team manager Alan Johnson said in a release. “I have worked with Brian for many years, and I am completely confident in his abilities to properly manage this race team.

“He has evolved into a solid manager with a deep understanding of how these cars operate, and I am sure he is ready to take this next step in his career.”

Husen resides in Avon, Ind., with his wife Rhonda and stepson, Tristin Centala. Husen’s father, Mike Husen of West Olive, was a veteran local drag racer, and while Husen never had the desire to race, he did enjoy hanging out at his dad’s shop while growing up. Husen was always more interested in why cars went fast.

Courtesy PhotoBrian Husen was hired by Joe Gibbs in 1997.

Husen sent a resume to Gibbs and was hired in 1997. He then joined Don Schumacher Racing in 2001 and went to work on Tony Schumacher’s Army-sponsored dragster. Schumacher’s crew chief, Alan Johnson, left after Schumacher won his fifth consecutive title in 2008 to manage the new Al-Anabi team, and Husen went with him. Al-Anabi Racing is owned by His Highness Sheik Khalid Al Thani of Qatar.

“In November of 2008, we had a shop that was four walls and a roof,” Husen said. “In a matter of two months, we were able to go out and compete and win a handful of races and finish second in points. We weren’t happy with that, but with the challenge at hand, we were OK with that.

Highlights: Husen has worked on six NHRA championship-winning Top Fuel Dragster teams, including five with driver Tony Schumacher. He served as an assistant crew chief for 2010 champion Larry Dixon.

“When we got beat in the semifinals at Pomona (in the season finale) in November of 2009, we packed up and started drinking beer. If you didn’t know better, you would have thought we won the championship, considering the attitude of our guys. When we came out in 2010, we went out and performed with that attitude.”

The NHRA will celebrate its 60th season this year, and, with 22 events across the country, Husen said there is little downtime.

Those are the sacrifices he has made in his pursuit of winning. Husen said he has missed everything from birthday parties to family reunions and funerals.

“When you are on the starting line at the U.S. Nationals for $100,000 and you have been busting your butt all weekend to get there,” Huson said, “to see the win light come on ... there are not many other jobs out there where you can get that instant gratification.”﻿